Serbians are voting on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in a snap parliamentary election that has become a direct contest between longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic and a student-backed movement born from nearly two years of anti-corruption protests. Polls opened at 7am local time and close at 8pm, with the first indications of the result expected about two hours later.
More than 6.4 million voters are choosing from 18 electoral lists competing for 250 seats in the National Assembly. The race is widely described as the most uncertain in Serbia in recent years, with the two main contenders polling neck and neck and smaller parties at risk of falling below the 3% threshold needed to enter parliament.
What happened
Voters queued at polling stations across the country early on Sunday, including in Belgrade and in Novi Sad, the northern city where the protest movement began. Ilija Srdanovic, the cardiologist who heads the Student List, said after voting in Novi Sad that the early queues pointed to record turnout in Serbia’s recent history.
“I hope that this day will pass in a democratic atmosphere and in peace and that we will legitimately choose a new government in Serbia,” Srdanovic said.
Vucic also voted in Belgrade on Sunday, alongside his wife Tamara. If his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) wins the most votes, he will return as prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president, a post he resigned last month to lead the campaign.
Voting is taking place at 8,392 polling stations, 93 of them abroad. The state election commission is not expected to release the official tally before Monday, and under Serbian election law results must be published within 96 hours of voting ending.
Why this election is happening now
Vucic called the snap vote in September, dissolving the National Assembly on September 9 and resigning as president on September 27. He had accepted the SNS nomination to head its electoral list, “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia”, as its candidate for prime minister, a post he held from 2014 until he became president in 2017.
The election was originally not due until December 2027. It follows almost two years of student-led demonstrations that began after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters blamed the disaster on corruption and negligence during renovation work, and demanded accountability for the victims.
The movement grew into Serbia’s largest social mobilisation in decades, drawing support far beyond university campuses. On Thursday, about 150,000 supporters of the student movement rallied in central Belgrade in its final pre-election show of strength.
The two main contenders
The contest has taken shape as a referendum between Vucic’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and the youth-backed Student List, even though voters can choose from 18 lists in total.
Vucic’s party has been in power since 2012, and he has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade. His supporters credit him with pulling Serbia out of economic obscurity and overseeing a period of modernisation, including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals. During the campaign he promised higher pensions and public sector salaries, investment in state healthcare and subsidies for young couples.
The Student List is a novelty in Serbian politics. It was shaped by university students, but no current students are among its candidates. Instead, its 250 candidates are largely unfamiliar experts, academics, actors, farmers and professionals, selected through student assemblies and led by Srdanovic.
Its campaign has focused on ending graft, restoring the rule of law and rebuilding institutions, under the message that it knows how to rebuild Serbia’s economy and democracy after a change of government. It has said comparatively little about foreign policy, including EU membership, relations with Russia and normalising relations with Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
What the polls say
Opinion polls disagree sharply, which is why the outcome is so hard to call. An Ipsos poll published on Thursday put Vucic’s list at 47% and the Student List at 40%, but other polls have put the students ahead. One survey by New Serbian Political Thought put the Student List at 44.5% against 42.7% for Vucic’s coalition, while a September Faktor Plus poll gave the governing coalition a lead of 48.6% to 37.1%.
One detail matters when reading those numbers: the Ipsos survey was commissioned by Vucic’s own electoral list, according to its published release. That does not by itself make the poll wrong, but it is essential context when comparing it with independent surveys.
Turnout could decide the result. Monitoring groups Ipsos and CeSID estimated turnout at about 12% by 9am on Sunday, more than double the 5.2% recorded at the same hour in the December 2023 parliamentary election. Vucic himself has predicted final turnout of between 63% and 66%.
Analysts say the Student List must not only unite opposition-minded voters but also mobilise habitual non-voters and the undecided, while the SNS retains a disciplined core electorate. With 126 seats needed for an outright majority in the 250-seat assembly, the fate of smaller parties near the 3% threshold could prove decisive in forming the next government.
Fairness concerns and the EU watch
Recent elections in Serbia have been marred by irregularities, and the European Union is watching Sunday’s vote closely in a candidate country for EU membership. Both international and local election monitors have expressed concern about the safety and fairness of a campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media, and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.
Opponents of Vucic and some independent monitoring groups have warned of potential irregularities in the voting process. Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities saw violent attacks on journalists and activists, and the previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.
Vucic and his party have repeatedly denied accusations of repression, corruption and spying on opponents. He has claimed the students are funded by foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, a charge the students deny.
Relations with the EU have frayed under Vucic’s leadership. The bloc has grown increasingly frustrated over a lack of reforms addressing the judiciary, the rule of law and corruption. At the same time, Vucic has balanced closer ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, Serbia’s traditional ally and principal supplier of natural gas, while leaving the door open to EU membership.
Why it matters
A loss for Vucic would mark a profound political shift in a Balkan country of more than six million people, ending a grip on power that has lasted 14 years since his party took office. It would also be reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban in April, and could offer a blueprint for student movements elsewhere in Europe.
That wider European context is real. Student-led protests have also shaken other countries this autumn, including Albania, where students have protested against corruption and education conditions in Tirana, and France, where high-school students sparked protests over staff shortages and learning conditions that grew into a broader cost-of-living movement.
A students’ victory would still leave hard questions unanswered, including how a movement of political newcomers would govern, what it would do about the economy, and how it would handle Serbia’s foreign-policy balancing act. A Vucic victory, meanwhile, would likely be contested by a movement that has already shown it can bring large crowds onto the streets.
What happens next
Polls close at 8pm local time (19:00 GMT), with first indications expected about two hours later, in the early hours of Monday in Pakistan time. The state election commission is not expected to release the official tally before Monday.
Vucic has said his side would concede defeat if it lost the vote, but has also warned that any protests claiming fraud in the event of his party’s triumph would be immediately quashed. Srdanovic, asked whether voters should gather outside polling stations in the evening to guard ballots, said the movement would give recommendations when it presents its results in the evening.
Analysts fear post-election instability if the result is close or disputed. Magda Anastasijevic, the Eastern Europe analyst for the conflict monitor ACLED, said electoral violence has been on the rise in Serbia recently and could escalate, particularly if the results are disputed.
Whatever the result, a presidential election must also follow: the vote triggered by Vucic’s resignation as president must be held by December 27, 2026.
Timeline
- November 2024: Concrete canopy collapses at Novi Sad railway station, killing 16 people and triggering student-led anti-corruption protests.
- January 2025: Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announces his resignation amid the protest wave.
- September 5, 2026: Vucic accepts the SNS nomination to head its electoral list as prime ministerial candidate.
- September 9, 2026: Vucic dissolves the National Assembly and calls snap elections.
- September 27, 2026: Vucic resigns as president; National Assembly president Ana Brnabic becomes acting president.
- October 22, 2026: About 150,000 student-movement supporters rally in central Belgrade.
- October 23, 2026: Election silence begins as the campaign ends.
- October 25, 2026: Polls open at 7am; early turnout estimated at about 12% by 9am, more than double the 2023 level.
- October 25, 2026: Polls close at 8pm local time; first indications expected about two hours later.
- October 26, 2026 onwards: Official tally expected from Monday; results must be published within 96 hours of voting ending.
- By December 27, 2026: Presidential election triggered by Vucic’s resignation must be held.
Frequently asked questions
Who is leading in the Serbia election?
Polls disagree. An Ipsos survey published on Thursday put Vucic’s list at 47% and the Student List at 40%, while other polls put the students ahead. The race is considered too close to call before the count.
What is the Student List in Serbia?
The Student List is a newly formed electoral list backed by the student protest movement. It is shaped by students but its 250 candidates are mainly academics, professionals, artists and farmers, led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic.
Why did Vucic call a snap election?
Vucic dissolved parliament in September 2026 and resigned as president to run again for prime minister, after nearly two years of student-led protests triggered by the deadly Novi Sad station canopy collapse in November 2024.
When will Serbia election results be announced?
First indications are expected about two hours after polls close at 8pm local time on Sunday. The state election commission is not expected to release the official tally before Monday, and results must be published within 96 hours of voting ending.
How many seats are needed to win in Serbia?
Parties need 126 of the 250 National Assembly seats for an outright majority. Lists must also clear a 3% threshold to enter parliament, though special rules apply to national minority lists.
Could the Serbia election result be disputed?
Both sides have raised concerns. Opposition figures and monitors have warned about irregularities, while Vucic has said his side would concede if it lost but that protests claiming fraud after his victory would be quashed. Analysts warn of possible instability if a close result is disputed.
Related coverage
The student protest wave behind this election has parallels elsewhere in Europe this autumn. Students in Albania have taken to the streets of Tirana against corruption and education conditions, while in France high-school students sparked protests over staff shortages and learning conditions that grew into a wider movement. Read more in our World section.